Guide Heavy-duty shelves
Heavy-duty shelves are made for the storage and organisation of heavy items, such as full paint buckets. In contrast to conventional shelves, these shelves are particularly suitable for basements, storage rooms, etc.
Heavy-duty shelves are often made of wood, plastic or metal and their tiers are made of MDF. There is a great selection of different variations: From simple heavy-duty shelves to heavy-duty plug-in shelves that can be combined individually. You can read in our guide which heavy-duty shelving is the right one for your purposes, what the properties of MDF panels are and what you should always take heed of when buying heavy-duty shelving.
What is a heavy-duty shelf?
For which items and which weight are heavy-duty shelves suitable: Load capacity of the single shelves
What is the difference between a heavy-duty shelf and conventional cabinets & shelves?
Heavy-duty shelving made of metal, wood or galvanised? Which material is best for me?
What are MDF panels & what are they suitable for?
Which size makes sense for heavy-duty shelves & what you should consider when buying
What are the different versions of heavy-duty shelves?

What is a heavy-duty shelf?
Heavy-duty shelves are specific devices in storage and logistics, in trade or industry for storing goods and items with a high dead weight. The storing systems are partly burdened with heavy weights and are stable and robust. Furthermore, there is a large number of different types of shelves, such as plug-in shelves, cantilever shelves or tyre racks. There is no mandatory heavy load weight for a shelf to be labelled as such. Colloquially, however, one speaks of heavy load only when each shelf can carry at least 50 kilograms. Read here what types of heavy-duty shelves are available, what items they are suitable for and what sizes fit your purposes perfectly.
For which items and which weight are heavy-duty shelves suitable: Load capacity of the single shelves
Heavy-duty shelves are designed for individual compartment loads, i.e. the maximum weight of a single compartment or shelf. These compartment loads can total up to 4000 kilograms in industry. The bay load, on the other hand, describes the maximum weight that the entire heavy-duty shelf can carry. When using a heavy-duty shelf, you should definitely read the bay load from the label, because it does not necessarily result from the sum of the individual compartment loads. A heavy-duty shelf is always the right choice, when a normal shelf cannot carry the goods to be stored. Heavy loads can be:
- Heavy paint buckets
- Tools, such as drilling machines etc.
- Heavy weight garden tools, such as bags of cement
- Large amounts of soil or bark mulch
- Barrels and beer crates

What is the difference between a heavy-duty shelf and conventional cabinets & shelves?
Optically, a heavy-duty shelf reminds you of a conventional shelf. But a “normal“ shelf, for instance made of wood, is better suitable for living room or bedroom. Racks made of plastic are often not really an eye-catcher. Therefore, they are especially suitable as storage room for pantries, cellars and co. Cabinets, on the other hand, are usually lockable pieces of furniture that can hide their contents with a cabinet door. As the name says, a heavy-duty shelf can withstand significantly larger and heavier goods.
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Heavy-duty shelving made of metal, wood or galvanised? Which material is best for me?
Whether plastic, metal or wood – Heavy-duty shelves are available in different versions. The choice of material also depends on the purposes for which you want to use the shelf.
These are the differences:
- Shelf made of wood: Wooden shelves are rarely referred to as heavy-duty shelves, even though they can partly withstand weights of 50 kilograms per compartment. They are more suitable for your flat or house, where they are used in the kitchen, living room, etc., for instance as a bottle or book shelf. The advantages: They usually look better than plastic or metal shelves.
- Plastic shelf: Plastic shelves are ideal for basements, garages or storage rooms. As a rule, the plastic shelf can withstand the same or a little more weight than the wooden shelf, but cannot yet come close to a heavy-duty shelf.
- Heavy-duty shelf galvanised: These heavy-duty shelves are made of stable MDF floors and a resilient galvanised plug-in system. A shelf can hold up to 875 kilograms.
- Heavy-duty shelf made of metal: Even metal heavy-duty shelves are available in different variants thanks to a plug-in system. These heavy-duty shelves made of metal are the most stable and robust.

What are MDF panels & what are they suitable for?
MDF stands for medium density fibreboard. MDF is a material that is popular for many reasons. These are the advantages of MDF panels:
- MDF panels consist of wood components and glue. Both materials are inexpensive, which also makes the medium-density fibreboard a cheap material.
- MDF is high quality and very stable.
- They can be coated with paints, lacquers or foils.
Thanks to their numerous properties, MDF boards are used in many areas:
- Both for interior work and for additionally roof waterproofing
- For furniture or shelves of heavy-duty racks
- As a worktop in the kitchen
- For pallets for transport and storage
Which size makes sense for heavy-duty shelves & what you should consider when buying
Whether basement, garage or storage room, to offer enough space for a heavy-duty shelf, you should measure the intended location in advance. The dimensions of width, height and depth are particularly decisive. Usually the rule applies: The larger the shelf, the greater the total load capacity. So think in advance how much weight the heavy-duty shelf should carry. Moreover, you should check whether the floor can withstand the weight of the shelf and the metal or plastic feet.
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What are the different versions of heavy-duty shelves?
Heavy-duty shelves are available from different brands and suppliers. From storage racks that you have to assemble, over tyre racks to rack systems that you can combine in your workshop in various ways – stable and high-quality heavy-duty shelves with MDF boards as shelves are available at DeubaXXL, for example in the sizes 180 x 90 x 40 or 180 x 90 x 60 cm.
Guide Heavy-duty shelves
Heavy-duty shelves are made for the storage and organisation of heavy items, such as full paint buckets. In contrast to conventional shelves, these shelves are...
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